Telegram Exploit Used to Mine Monero and Zcash

Hackers used right-to-left override to mine crypto using victims computer and to install spyware

14 February 2018
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Kaspersky Lab specialists discovered a breach in the Telegram client for Windows, which hackers used to mine cryptocurrency and install spyware since March 2017. Victims of intruders could be up to 1 thousand people, according to Kommersant.

According to experts, the vulnerability was to use an attack RLO (right-to-left override), through which attackers changed the order of characters in the name and file extension. Thus, the victim downloaded malicious software under the guise of, for example, images, and launched it themselves, unaware that it was an executable file. This allowed cybercriminals to gain remote access to victims' computers and use their computing capabilities to mine Monero, Zcash, Fantomcoin and others.

In addition, hackers installed spyware on computers. So, on the servers of cybercriminals, analysts found archives with the local cache of Telegram, which the criminals pumped out from the victims devices. Each of them, among other things, contained in various user materials in encrypted form: documents, audio and video recordings, photographs.

The detected artifacts allow us to suggest the Russian origin of the criminals. Some lines in the malicious code were in Russian, and in the "lit" email addresses of intruders appeared Russian words and names.

Alexey Firsh
Kaspersky Lab

All cases of hacker attacks were recorded in Russia and only with a client for Windows. At the same time, Kaspersky Lab's specialists do not exclude that other platforms were exposed to vulnerabilities.

Currently, Telegram instant messenger developers are notified of the problem, the vulnerability is already closed.

Global GPU Shortage Leads Miners to Asia

The global shortage of GPUs leads to a hike in the prices and shift of miners to Hong Kong and Singapore for cheaper rigs

21 February 2018
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The boom in crypto mining and rise in bitcoin price led to the shortage of GPUs globally. That is why miners headed to Hong Kong and Singapore for cheaper rigs.
Graphics cards are an efficient way to mine cryptocurrencies. As a result, the price of these GPUs is scaling through the ceiling. A good card can make good profits over a year.

According to the retailers, during the crypto market correction, there has been a dip in the demand for cards. But now as the bitcoin prices are rising, it has been speculated that the GPU depends will surpass that of last year.

Retailers are trying to take advantage of this situation, by speculation of the prices. For example, the market players like Amazon will try to profit from the current scenario.
Miners are coming to Asia to purchase mining hardware.

Sim Lim Square in Singapore and Sham Shui Po in Hong Kong are packed with people for these rigs. The primary reason for Hong Kong being a hot place for these purchases is that there is no sales tax here. Moreover, the place is closer to the component manufacturers of China.

It’s 30-50 percent cheaper to buy equipment related to crypto-mining in Hong Kong than in Europe.